Colts overcome slow start to rout Panthers; Patriots next

Oct 29, 2007 - 5:06 PM

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Ticker) -- It took a while for
Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts' offense to get
rolling. But once they did, they might have sent a message to
the New England Patriots - the Super Bowl Trophy still resides
in Indianapolis.

Manning threw two touchdowns passes to become the franchise's
all-time leader as the Colts overcame a sluggish start to rout
the Carolina Panthers, 31-7, on Sunday.

Joseph Addai scored three touchdowns for the defending Super
Bowl champion Colts (7-0), who set the stage for next week's
battle of unbeatens with the Patriots.
Colts coach Tony Dungy is not looking forward to the hype for
what will be one of the most eagerly anticipated regular-season
games in years.

"I think it will be a circus," he said. "I think it will be a
very much hyped game. They have played great football all year.
Our team has played well. I think it's going to be a big game."

The two TD passes give Manning 288 in his career, passing former
Colts' legend Johnny Unitas.

"He truly was an innovator at quarterback," Manning said. "I
have the achievement in perspective. Certainly, it is an honor.
I've had some great guys to throw to."

It also was a milestone day for Dungy, who won his 74th game to
become the winningest coach in franchise history. He had been
tied with Don Shula and Ted Marchibroda.

"It's hard to believe, it really is," Dungy said. "It's a
testimony to all those guys in there, our personal department
and our players."

Manning spent most of the first half on the sidelines, as the
Panthers (4-3) held the ball for more than 22 minutes, including
a game-opening drive that consumed 11 minutes.

Manning was forced to watch as Carolina's 43-year-old
quarterback Vinny Testaverde engineered an 18-play, 80-yard
march, culminating in a 3-yard TD run by DeShaun Foster.

During the drive, Carolina, which has dropped five straight at
home for the first time since 2001, picked up seven first downs
and converted six third downs.

But the Colts' defense stiffened and a pair of turnovers hurt
the Panthers, who missed an opportunity to extend their lead.

After Indianapolis went three-and-out on its first possession,
Carolina's Ryne Robinson fumbled on the ensuing punt. That led
to Adam Vinatieri's 20-yard field goal.

With 9:31 left in the half, Carolina linebacker Na'il Diggs
stripped Ben Utecht after a short completion and safety Chris
Harris recovered the fumble at the Indianapolis 28.

The Panthers came up empty, however, as Testaverde's pass on
3rd-and-4 from the 9 was intercepted by cornerback Antoine
Bethea.

"The first half could have gone better, but I'm not sure it
would have made a huge difference in the game the way it turned
out in the second half," Carolina coach John Fox said.

With less fanfare than the Patriots, the Colts posted a pair of
impressive road wins in advance of next week's showdown. Last
week, they dominated the Jacksonville Jaguars, 29-7.

Two weeks ago, Testaverde became the oldest starting quarterback
to win a game in NFL history in a 25-10 victory over the
Arizona Cardinals. But his magical run may have ended Sunday,
as he left in the third quarter with a sprained ankle.

For only the second time in his career, Manning was held to zero
passing yards in the first quarter.

But the Colts' offense woke up late in the first half as Addai's
2-yard TD run with 1:33 remaining capped an eight-play, 86-yard
drive.

"In my mind, that (the interception) was the turning point,"
Testeverde said. " Instead of being up 14-3, they go down and
score and they lead at the end of the half, 10-7."

Fortunate to be ahead at the half, Manning and company went to
work in the second half, wearing down the Panthers with their
precision offense.

"Sometimes, you don't hit on all cylinders from the get-go,"
said Manning, who finished 14-of-30 for 254 yards. "We stayed
patient. We finally got a little rhythm before the half and it
carried over."

Manning threw both his TD passes in the third period. He tossed
a 4-yard strike to Addai, then broke Unitas' mark with a 59-yard
pass to Reggie Wayne, who had seven catches for 168 yards.

Manning had a third TD pass called back in the fourth quarter
because of a holding penalty. It hardly mattered, as Addai
ripped off a 12-yard TD run on a draw to make it 31-7 with 13
minutes remaining.